'The Post' Named Best Film by National Board of Review

This year's honors will be presented during a January gala at New York's Cipriani 42nd Street, hosted, as they were last year, by NBC News' Willie Geist.

The National Board of Review on Tuesday announced its 2017 award winners, naming The Post as the best film of the year. The Steven Spielberg-directed film about the Pentagon Papers saga also scored best actor and actress prizes from the group for its lead performances by Tom Hanks and Meryl Streep.

The accolades are the first major awards for the Fox and DreamWorks film, which is set to be released Dec. 22 in select theaters.

The NBR also bestowed the first major awards on Paul Thomas Anderson's Christmas release, Phantom Thread. The film, which marks Daniel Day-Lewis' final acting role, was honored with the best original screenplay prize and was named one of NBR's top films.

Greta Gerwig earned best director honors for her acclaimed feature-helming debut Lady Bird (also named one of NBR's top 10 films), with the dramedy's Laurie Metcalf also nabbing a supporting actress award. The honor comes less than 24 hours after Lady Bird star Saoirse Ronan won the Gotham Award for best actress.

The Florida Project's Willem Dafoe was named best supporting actor.

The best adapted screenplay prize went to The Disaster Artist's Scott Neustadter and Michael H. Weber, with the movie also being named one of NBR's top 10 films. The honors came the day after star James Franco was named best actor at the Gotham Awards.

Less than 24 hours after Get Out won three Gotham Awards, the Jordan Peele-helmed racially themed horror film won best directorial debut for Peele and best ensemble honors. And following Call Me by Your Name's best feature Gotham Award, star Timothee Chalamet won the NBR's breakthrough performance prize for his role in the Luca Guadagnino-directed coming-of-age romance. Both films were also named to NBR's list of top films.

Other notable NBR winners include Coco (best animated feature), Wonder Woman's Gal Gadot and Patty Jenkins (Spotlight Award) and Angelina Jolie's First They Killed My Father (one of two Freedom of Expression Awards).

“The Post is a beautifully crafted film that deeply resonates at this moment in time. We are so thrilled to award it our best film as well as to honor the wonderfully talented Greta Gerwig as our best director,” NBR president Annie Schulhof said in a statement.

The winners will be recognized during a Jan. 9 gala at New York's Cipriani 42nd Street, hosted, as they were last year, by NBC News' Willie Geist.

The NBR awards are voted on by a group of film enthusiasts, professionals, academics, young filmmakers and students.

Last year, NBR selected Manchester by the Sea as its best film. The previous year it picked post-apocalyptic blockbuster Mad Max: Fury Road, starring Charlize Theron and Tom Hardy, which earned a number of critical accolades and awards and won six Oscars.